Draft-timber for cars



I J. B. OWENS. DRAFT TIMBER FOR CARS.

Patented June 12, 1888. Z2911 NVENTOR:

WITNESSES: v

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Pholwl thngnphin Washington, ac

UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFI E.

JOHN B. OWENS, OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE.

DRAFT-TIMBER FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 384,588, dated June 12,1888.

Application filed October 11, 1887. Serial No. 252,010. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN B. OWENs, of Jackson, in the county of Madison and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Securing Draft-Timbers to Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for securing draft-timbersto cars, especially adapted for use with freight-cars, and has for its object to provide a means whereby the draft-timbers may be expeditiously and etfectively bolted to the sills, and wherein the means employed will be very simple.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is 'to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding part-s in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a centrallongitudinal section through the sill and attached draft-timbers, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same.

In carrying out the invention, A represents the central sill of a car, provided with aligning apertures, through which rods a are passed transversely the sill at or near each end near the top, the projecting ends of the rods being provided with longitudinal slots adapted to receive the spring-keys a, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The draft-timbers B consist of side pieces, b, united in any suitable manner at their inner ends, and connected at their outer ends at'the bottom by a metal brace, b". In each sidcpiece at the bottom aligning inclined recesses D D are cut at each side of the center,theinclination of the recesses being from the outside inward.

Straps E E are extended transversely the timbers at the bottom, entering the respective recesses D D, the ends d d of the said straps projecting beyond the sides, their opposing edges being in engagement with the inner vertical walls of the slots,whereby the faces of the two straps are given an inclination toward each other. In the construction of the straps they may be centrally depressed, as shown, or

straight,or of any contour best adapted to the draw-bar carried by the timbers.

The projecting ends of the straps are apertured to receive the threaded ends of rods H, the other ends of said rods being formed with an eye, h, adapted to be slid over the sill-rods a, and held in connection with the sides by the spring-keys a, as shown in Fig. 2. By means of nuts h, entered upon the threaded end of the rods H, the draft-bars and sills are drawn closely together until the two are substantially integral. A colter-pin or a key may, if de sired, be passed through the rods H beneath the nuts to prevent their working loose.

As the sill-rods a are placed near each outer end and the recesses D D near the center of the combined sill and draft-timbers, the side rods, H, are given an inclination from the bottom upward in direction of the ends, as shown in Fig. 2, and because of the said inclination of the rods H and the recesses D D,when the draw-bar is pressed inward in coupling, the front strap, E, sustains the shock, binding at the same time the timbers closer to the sill, and when the cars are started the rear strap, E, sustains the strain with like result.

It will be observed that by the construction above set forth a drafttimber may be readily and expeditiously attached to a car, and that when attached they are held in firm engagement therewith.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the central sill of a car, and rods projected transversely through the same near the ends, of draft-timbers provided with aligning recesses in their under edge at each side of the center, apertured transverse straps engaging the walls of said re cesses, and inclined side bars connecting the said straps and sill-bars, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination, with the sill of a car, and rods projected transversely through the same near the ends, of draft-timbers provided with aligning recesses in their under edge at each side of the center and inclined in direction of said center, apertured transverse straps engaging the walls of said recesses, detachable inclined side bars connecting the said straps and sill-rods, and means, substantially as shown and described, for securing the side rods to the straps and sill-rods.

3. The combination, with the center sill of a car, and rods projected transverselythrough the same near each end, provided with apertured extremities and keys in said apertures, of draft-timbers provided with aligning recesses in their under edge at each side of the center and inclined in direction of said center,

apertured transverse straps engaging the walls of said recesses, and detachable inclined side rods connecting said sill-rods and straps, and provided with a thread at one end adapted to 1 receive a nut and an eye at the opposite end, all arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

JOHN B. OWENS. Witnesses:

ADRIAN D. DUGGER, J OHN M. BORGHT. 

